Collapsible paper can



A. M. BlocnTHBY ET AL R- 20235 7. 3 9 l 9m. l 1m coLLAPsIVLE PAPER CAN v drinnal Filed Jan. 1o, 19:53 2 sheets-sheet 1l Jan- 12, 1937 I A. M. BoQ'rlflBY 1f-AL Re. 20,235 coLLAPs'IBLE PAPER GAN Original Filed Jan. 10, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 in distribution of bulk ice cream 80 tation. elimination of Reissued Jan. l2, 1 937 UNITED -STATE:

Albion M.

Gazette, Boston, signments,

12 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in col.- lapsible paper cans.

It is especially useful when applied to the larger sort of single service cans, such as may be used by manufac tur'ers to retailers, or in distribution of other moist or frozen food products: but cans embodying the invention are available also for other uses. l

The manufacturer customarily delivers bulk ice cream in ten or twenty quart cans. These t into the retailers rerrigeratmg unit, ad there the same cans serve as storage units for retail distribution. When such cans are made of metal, I6 as has been customary for many years, they must be returned to the ice cream factory for use again. The used cans are unsanitary, until cleaned, especially in summer. The cleaning preparation involves repeated expense. Rough Q handling, abuse, and deleterious chemical effects necessitate outlays for upkeep. In the'back and forth movement'the rather large weight. and bulk of metal cans cause a substantial proportion of the high 'transportation costs of the business; and replacements for actual loss of cans are a still more considerable item of expense, the metal cans being initially costly. The idea of using single service paper centaine ers has therefore been advanced, for better sanicieaning costs, and reduction of costs of transportation and handling owing to the smaller weight per unit and the elim-,- ination of empties;but this has brought other and new problems, not hitherto satisfactorily 35 solved, for which it is an object of the invention to provide a' solution as well as to provide further improvements.

In a single service system the number of cans required is much larger, for doing a given volume' 40 of business per any given period; and this, with the much larger number 'oi cans that must be kept in reserve, since none are coming back from customers. demands storage space for a very large number of cans. Also freight costs on new 45 paper cans are high. because of their bulk, unlessthey can in some way be condensed.

The present invention provides for large paper cans which may be greatly reduced in volume -to save space during shipment and storage, and 50 also provides improvements'in method of manufacture and in the finished product.

The invention provides a can whose wall is naturally cylindrical. Consequently, the walls return easily to cylindrical shape, after being collapsed for storage. Also, the improved can is s PATENT OFFICE COLLAPSIBLE PAPER CAN message.: We

to Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation.'New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Original No. 2,037,675,1lated April 14', 1936, Serial No. 650,986, January 10, reissue November 19, 1936,

1933. Application for Serial No. 111,644

(CL 22S-4.5)

capable of being set up quickly, by hand, without a machine being required( to mold some partly prepared plane walls into concave form; and because of its natural cylindrical shape the can of the invention is strong and tight, without metal reinforcement, although made wholly of paper.

Other features are that the canot the invention packs .well with like cans for the hardening operation of ice cream, in which case, while stacked, the can provides for access of the cooling air to the whole cylindrical length of each can, including the bocLv of cream which is surrounded by the flange of the cover, thus avoiding the making of soft ends of cream. Also it provides for spacing the cover disk upward to prevent the cream, in a full can, from freezing to the cover. Also it provides other improved operative details affecting the top cap closure, among which are reinforcing beadings, for strength; separable disk and flange, for the opening of a full can, while leaving the top edge of can wall reinforced so that its strength continues as the can is grad uallyemptied; and leaving the same strong for convenience of the sales person in tapping the scoop which is used in serving.

The invention attains these various objects and 'results by employing a paper tube, preformedas acy1inder of desired diameter and length, for the can body; creasing the tube walls longitudinally, at 90 distances, or more frequently, to make hinge lines for the collapsing, and for expandlng; beading inward the paper edges at the bottom of the body, to hold a tight bottom disk; beading outward the paper edges at the top, to flt an annular, spaced, flange on an oversized cap; setting the crimping head of the cap directly on the bead of the can top, disk upward from the contained ice cream and preventing its freezing contact therewith; crimping the top cover disk only lightly into the cap flange, for the perfect covering of the can during y transportation and handling, yet making a joint at which the disk is readily separable as an 1ntegral unit, from its flange, when the ice cream is to be opened to be erstwhile cap-flange `reeni!orcernent around can.

By reason of the exlbility of the curved paper material, the bare cylindrical tube, not yet .as-

sembled with its end closures, may be collapsed sidewiseto a substantially at position. yQuadrants of its walls are, in effect. hinged together at the creases which have been made in the standing thereafter as a the top end of the opened thus spacing theI cap '45 dispensed, thus leaving its cylindrical formation, so that two opposite semicylihders can. while retaining powers oi' resiliency, be iiattened approximately to planes, by simply pressing them together. Any convenient number, say twenty-five, flattened tubes, may

then be packed in a relatively small space, for

shipment and storage. This ldisposes of the bulky .part of the can. The bottom disks. being naturally dat, disks. pack solidly together: and the top caps, being ilat with only short ilanges, can also be packed together relatively solidly.

By virtue of its. tendency resiliently to return to cylindrical form. a collapsed can may 'be assembled for use quickly and easily by hand. After releasing the attened tube. so that it returns toward cylindrical form, it is only necessary to insert and press the bottom plane ldisk to its seat on the interior bead at the bottom of the Y tubular body; whereupon the can automatically resumes'a shape which is approximately cylindrical, with itstop end vready and open. The

ini'iow of a thick liquid, as ice cream, spreads the l stacked close together in a cold chamberl the hardening operation is promoted by the spacing of the cap flange at a little distance from the can body-which occurs because the bead over which it ilts is out-turned. This space pennits circulation of air against the can wall to the full height of can. Later, condensation occurs in this space: sometimes this ange becomes securely frozen to the top part of the can body..

To open the can. the loosely crimped disk part of the top, which has been preserved from freezing to the top of can contents, can be lifted out as an integral unit, by means of any conveniently penetrative tool, thus opening the entire top of the can, but leaving that which was the'cap flange now remaining in a binding and reenforcing relation around the lip of the can wall.

It is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.

In the accompanying drawings: y

Figure 1 is an. isometric showing of a tubular can body embodying features of the invention Figure 2 is an elevation showing the vtube of Figure l collapsed, but not compressed to 'atnesst Figure 3 is an elevation, in medial section, showing the tube re-opened, and with the bottom closure disk inserted, the dotted linesindieating an intermediate position of the disk while being inserted:

Figure 4 is a top plan of the empty can of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a top plan of the can as it appears when filled with ice cream or other contents;

` Figure 6 is an elevation, in medial section, ofthe upper portion of a covered frozen can, showlng. in dot and dash lines, the cap disk partially removed;

Figure 'I is a view similar to Figure 6 showing the cap ange remaining and serving asa binding reeni'orcement for the top of the body, after.

the cap disk has been removed; Figure il is `an enlarged sectional view of a .fragment of the bottom closure disk of Figure .9; andk sanas'.

Flgure- 9 is an elevation of a bundle of stacked can bodies, eachybody being collapsed lanticompressed to iiatness; f f

Figure l0 is a modiiied form of containerhaving no top rollor bead, and having the creases engaging the cover flange, which latter is shown by dotted lines.

Referring to the drawings, the cylindrical tube I9 of helicaily wrapped paper, may be regarded .as representative of paper tubes in general which are suitable for use as paper can bodies, such being well known. Long tubes .of the wrapped paper of desired diameter having been cut into lengths suitable i'or individualcan bodies, each is rolled or beaded at its ds. That end which isto be the mouth of a"'can has its stock rolled outward, to provide/.theV annular exterior bead I2; and the bead A'. at the .other end is rolled interiorly so as to constitute a seat on which a '-bottom yclosure/disk I8 may engage. This disk I9 being circular, and of diameter to nt snugly against the tube walls when pressed to its seat Il, a strong liquid-tight Joint results between disk and can body. It is of course necessary that the bottom disk be sufficiently sti', and this will `be so if it be of corrugated paper board It.. For

special strength this may be backed on one side by card board IBD; orA card board alone is sometimes enough, especially if very thick, and laminated. The invention provides for the temporary and resilient collapsing ol' this cylindrical tube Il into a substantially at'form, to reduce bulk yfor shippingand storage. The walls of tube Ill are impressed with longitudinally extendingcreases Il, I 9, which may be made by creasing dies in a These creases Il are 180 apart;l or indeed, and preferably, the creases I8, I9, are 90 apart or even are at shorter intervals, provided always that the tube is thereafter compressed by forces applied in opposite directions laterally, the paper semi-cylinders which are delimited by a pair of 'manner already known for dealing with paper.

4o there be at least one pair 180 apart, to serve L l the function here portrayed at creases Il. When creases 180 apart tend to become parallel planes.

They turn on those two creases as end hinges, and swing together, more or less as s een in Figure 2, tending to reduce to zero the angle between themselves.

When thus put under the necessity of departing from its natural cylindrical form, each wall yields at one of these straight lines or zones of relative weakness, I9, I9, parallel to the axis as the place at which the maior bending of thepaper walls shall lnaturally occur. In the quad-4 rant style of creasing, and at the stage of progress represented in Figure 2, the angle between adjacent quadrants is reduced toward zero at* creases I8, and is enlarged or opened at creases I9; and the quadrant surfaces between creases each retain approximately their native quadrant forms, to which the paper tends resiliently 1to returnwhen pressure is released.. A number of tubes, veach collapsed to the extent as in Figure 2,l may be piled together; and the whole pile then further collapsed to a stage of approximate nat'- ness, bothof the pile and of the individual tubes therein, as in Figure 9; and this condensation of tubes constitutes a compact package capable of economical transportation and storage. The iiexibility of the cylindrical/paper walls will permit of this condensation ii' there be. only the creases I8; but the wall ilattens somewhat more easily if there are also the creases I9; and would shape more easily still if there were others (not y mouth wide open.

' sure of iluid contents on theV walls expands the can body to approximate its original true circularl In going down to its seat shown) between these latter, taking less pressure when flattening fty at once.

`But in each case a measure of resilience remains in the two or more ply paper material of the wall, so that each section tends to resume its cylindrical form when the pressure upon it is released, and this is true also at the creases, though less in degree. The creases neednot exthough these beads are necessarily exaggerated in thickness in. the drawings, they are in fact thicker than the can walls at other places. But this does not much increase the total thickness of the assembled package, for, in stacking, they can be alternately reversed and slightly offset from each other. l

The product of the invention in both the conditions shown in Fig. 2 and in Fig. 9 has its advantages. While a maximum saving in space is afforded when the cylinders are iiattenedto the degree illustrated in Fig. 9, yet if the bodies are maintained in this condition for a suillcient period of time the tendency of the sections to spring back into curvilinear form is diminished. The containers may also be packed in a less compactcondition, such for example as illustrated in Fig. 2, in which condition a less but very material lsaving in space is still accomplished, without any danger of diminishing the springing back tendency of the sections. Reference in the claims to "collapsed collapsing" and collapsible should be understood as comprehending either and both of the conditions above described in connection with Figs. 2 and 9. y

The bottom closure di ks I6 may be stacked, or packed in groups. apart from the bodies I: or one diskl may be associated with each collapsed tube Ill, either'interlorly or exterlorly thereof.

At destination, a collapsed tube may be opened easily to a tubular shape, as it automatically tends to approach its original cylindrical shape. One of the stiff it until that disk is seated on interior bead Il.' the edge of the disk will rub against and spread the tube -walls to circular form, and the circumference of the disk, when seated, will be fitting snugly against 'the tube walls. Experience has shown that this will be adequately liquid-tight. The remainder of the body lll will then bea cylinder, somewhat distorted, as indicated in Figure 4, but with the When filled, the outward presas represented in Figure 5, so that may be applied easily cross-section, a flanged cap cover .original roundness.

While the cap cover may be of any ordinary construction, preferably it consists of a disk 2li crimped as at 23, into only a slight engagement with a short cylindrical flange 22, in a manner to permit of a yielding of the crimp for the separation of the disk therefrom with comparative ease under certain conditions. When the flange 22 becomes frozen on the can as happens at 28 under the low temperatures of the ice cream hardening room, the disk 2li may be penetrated with any convenient instrument, and may be thus pried loose from its flange, and be lifted out as a unit, to open the can; leaving the ilange 22 binding and reenforcing Vthe can rim during the operation of dispensing contents from the can, to which it will be perhaps flrmly adhering by reason of moisture congealed as at 28 between tend through the top and bottom beads. Al

the cap is applied, which,

. their bodies apart.

disks I6 then may be pressed into and -safely, aiding the restoring of body top to its bottom, The canvmay,

the flange and the top part of the can body I0.

The can maythen be re-covered by the disk at I2, whereby a free space 24 stands above con.

tents of the can, and no part of the cap dips into the contents. This free space 24 constitutes an air pocket for accommodating air entrapped as otherwise, would tend to force contents out of the can at its bottom; and is a clearance which prevents the cover from becoming frozento contents.

Ice cream customarily is poured into the large cans by the manufacturer in thick liquid form, and then is hardened in freezing temperatures in a room where cans are stackedv closely tog'ether. It is important that circulation space be provided between containers, andI that all parts of each can be subjected uniformly to the cold. If the cans of the invention are packed solidly in mutual contact the cap flanges 22, automatically space And the space underlying between a cap ilange and its adjacent can body permits circulation within the flange, thereby to keep the contents of the can at this area equally as cold as at other areas along the can.

In a simplified and preferred form the bead i2 at the top lof the' can may be omitted; and the creases i8 extending to the extreme top afford support points for cap ange 22 on a diameter larger than the diameter of the can body, to engage that flange and space it out from the can body IB', as seen in Figure l0, to providevthe space at the very top of can, both for complete cooling of contents and for congealed moisture to become effective for locking the flange on the can.

The turning inward toward the axis of the stock which constitutes the walls of the can, at the bottom margin, makes a stiff support or seat forthe stiff disk which is to be inserted to con stitute the bottom; but it will be observed that this bead serves merely as a supporting ledge, and that the ledge might be provided by"`any suitable means, not necessarily integral with the body, and not necessarily continuous around it. Because of this construction the walls of the can body can extend imperforate to the extremity of the bottom of the can, exteriorly, and ailord in prevent any spreading of the bottom part of the can beyond the degree which is cylindrically perlect. This does away with all 'need for outside metallic reinforcements, and for metallic ledges projecting inward to constitute a seat for the therefore, be constituted substantially wholly of paper, such incidental matters as the glue in holding two or three ply of paper, together, or metallic fasteners holding the cylindrically wrapped paper ends together if such be used, being so inconsequential that they can be ignored, saying that it is "wholly" of paper.

It is one of the advantages that the paper is initially set" i. e. cylindrical, if the manufacture starts with tubular paper stock, and that the resilience of the paper tends to return'it to that form whenever the knocked-down can is released from its compression into ilatness. Nevertheless, if it be preferred the manufacture may begin with the paper in flat form, folded with its ends secured together so as to be circumferentially continuous and capable of being opened out to a cylindrical in the desired final form of can,

form against thenatlve resilience of the paper; but in such case it would be preferred first to roll -e stock, bending it toward cylindricity, so as to reduce this inherent opposition, and then to flatten it againbefore going through the operation just mentionedy of uniting its ends to cylindrical continuity, or in some other wayto give it an aptness for cylindricity before flattening it as a completed knocked-down element of the can.

In many cases it is advantageous to omit the bead or roll i2 at the top of the container, as shown in Figure 10, in which case the material pressed out at the tops of the creases Il and I! will engage and center the cover ange, and so provide a space between flange and can body with the same effect asheretofore described. If the described flangefclearance space ls not wanted,`as may happen in some cases, the creases may be stopped short of the top edge of the body, and the cover may then nt closely and smoothly as is ordinary for covers.

We claim as our invention:

l. A knock-down lcari comprising a normally cylindrical paper body of plural ply hellcally wound, the curvature of whose walls is a built-in characteristic which persists in individual sec-l tions of the wall independently of the effect of connection to otherI sections thereof; said walls being folded on diametrically opposed longitudinal lines which dene arcuate individual sections of wall. and opposite wall portions being pressed together into approximate ilatness; said walls being strongly resilient, and said flattened portions thereof being thereby adapted to spring by inherent resilience to approximately cylindrical arc form when the said folded body is opened land one end of it is made circular.

2. A knock-downcan, comprising, in combination, a normally cylindrical body having longitudinal parallel creases dividing the body walls into a plurality of arcuate sections, the curvature of each of which is resiliently persistent, inde form; the said resilience of sections being to an .v

the creases and by nattening of the sections ofl resilient walls between those folds, the tube can be collapsed. and when collapsed tends resiliently to open itself toward cylindrical form: said tube pendently of each other section; said'body being collapsible toward its axis by pressing its said sections flat together, and the resiliency of said sections being such that each springs to arcuate form when the attening pressure is removed.

3. A knock-down can made ofpaper, comprising a tubular body of plural ply helically wound paper stock wherein a plurality `of parallel longitudinal crease lines divide the bodylwalls into arcuate sections, each having inherent curvature which persists resiliently independently of other sections; and said creases constituting hinges-for the respective wall sections permitting the sections to be pressed together into flat, collapsed extent whereby each springs to arcuate form when the attening pressure is removed.

4. A knock-down paper can comprising la tube made of plural ply sheet paper organized in the tube with the respective plies adhering together and each substantially free of tension imposed upon it by an adhering adjoining ply, whereby the composite 'wall structure is free of internal stresses when occupying the curvature which is normal for the tube, and whereby said curvature is resiliently persistent in individualsections of the walls; said tube having longitudinal creases at diametrically opposed locations, dividing the tube walls into sections, whereby, by folding at tion while retaining said individual sectionaand means adjacent one A dass having means to non a bottom seated within the tube; 4combined with said bottom, adapted to be inserted to said seat for fitting and spreading the tube i lel hinges of the paper stock lioining the respective sections and permitting movement of the sections relatively for converting the can body between an expanded tubular shape and a collapsed flat shape; each said section having initially a flexibly resilientv arcuate form which applied in the collapsing, and each having its said resilience suillcient to spring it from a collapsed ilat form .to arcuate form when the-collapsing pressure is removed; and said walls being circumferentially continuous, and extending imperforate to the extremity of the exterior bottom of the can, and having at on their side toward the axis, a stiilly held seat for the can bottom; combined with said can bottom,

` being a disk which when inserted rests on and 6. A knock-down can, comprising, in combina-- comprising a can body having secyields to pressure their bottom margin.

tion, a normally cylindrical body having longitudinal parallel creases dividing. the body walls into a plurality of arcuate sections, the curvature offeach of which is resiliently persistent independently of each other section; each said crease being protuberant exteriorly adjacent to an end of the can body for spacing a ange of a cap cover from said body; and the said creases providing for relative movement of the sections in collapsing of the can.

7. 'I'he method of making a knock-down paper can, comprising the forming of paper stock as a cylindrical tube; the stock in the Atube walls being resilient, and being in its condition of least internal stress when the walls are near cylindrical shape, whereby the tube walls when distorted tend to return to the cylindrical shape; forming therein around the margin at one end a seat for the can bottom creasing the tube longitudinally on lines which are diametrically opposite, thereby dividing the walls into a plurality of arcuate sections; collapsing the tube into atness by compression toward the axis, with the tube walls foldingon said cieases,and between the creases bending resiliently from curved toward fiat shape, whereby the can becomes knocked-down; and completing the can by releasing the pressure. whereby the can opens itself resiliently, and by inserting and pressing a stit disk bottom to said seat. whereby the bottom portion of the can is body comprisingA sista-in said individual sections independently .of connection to otbersections thereof, said body being collapsible toward a plane passing through its axis by relatively moving said sections toward said piane aboutthesaidlin'es as hinges to sbstantialiyreduce the by said body in its endofsaidwall to cooperate withanend tobe inserted therein as a bottom serving to spread said body to substantially circular -cross section.

9. A knock-down container body comprising a multi-ply paper wall having an inherent substantially circular cross section, Asaid'wall having a plurality of circumferentially spaced weakened lines extending in a direction axially thereoi' with said weakened portions dening at least four individual arcuate sections whose curvature is a built-in characteristic of said wall which persists in said individual sections independent- 1y of connection to other sections thereof, said body being collapsible toward a plane passing through its axis by relatively moving said sections toward said plane about the said weakened portions as hinges to substantially reduce the volumetric space occupied by said body in its substantially circular condition while retaining said persistent lcurvature in said individual sec-` tions,'and means adjacent one end of said wall to cooperate with an end to be inserted therein as a bottom serving to spread said body to substantially circular cross section.

10. A knock-down container body comprising a multi-ply paper wall having an inherent substantially circular cross section, said wall having a plurality of circumferentially spaced weakened lines extending in a direction axially thereof with said weakened portions defining individual arcuate sections whose curvature is a built-in characteristic of said wall which persists in said individual sections independently of connection to other vsections thereof, said body being collapsi- A ble toward its axis by relatively moving said sections toward each other about the said lines as hinges to substantially reduce the volumetric space occupied by said body in its substantially circular condition while retaining said persistent curvature in said individual section, a substantially circular relatively stiff bottom member serving when inserted within said wall to spread said vwall to open condition, and means adja- Y' cent one end of said wall to cooperate with said bottom for positioning the same in said body.

' l1. A knock-down container body comprising a multi-ply paper wall of substantially'circu'lar cross section, said wall having a plurality of circumferentially spaced weakened. lines extending in a direction axially thereof with said weakl ened portions defining individual arcuate sections, said weakened portions providing hinges for permitting relative movement of said sections, said sections being constructed to maintain substantially their original circular curvature when the body is bent about certain of its hinges to approach collapsed condition, and means adjacent one end of said body to cooperate with an end to be inserted therein as a bottom serving to spread said body to substantially circular cross section..

12. A can, comprising a can body having sectional paper walls and having longitudinal, parallel hinges of the paper stock joining'the respective sections and permitting 'movement of the sections'relatively for converting the can body between an expanded tubular shape and -a co1- lapsed flat shape; each said section having initially a flexibly resilient arcuate form which yields to pressure applied in the collapsing,-and each having its said resilience sufficient to spring it from a collapsed lform to arcuate form when the collapsing pressure is removed; and said walls being circumferentially continuous, andinserted rests on and wholly above said seat r and within the enclosure made by said walls.

ALBION M. BOOTHBY. MARSHALL E. GAZETTE. 

